There is something odd about the sight of a grown man up in a tree.

The Reuters news service carried a story sometime back about a Polish man who climbed a tree to avoid a taxi fare which totaled just a few dollars. Pursued by the irate taxi driver, the passenger climbed a tall tree, jumped from branch to branch and hurled bananas from a shopping bag at a crowd which soon gathered at the scene.

More than a dozen firefighters were called in and spread out an air-bag under the tree as a police psychologist was sent up in a ladder‑bucket to negotiate with the man.

After a two‑hour stand‑off, the man agreed to come down. But he learned a hard lesson. He may have to pay many times the original taxi fare he tried to evade. At last report the fire brigade was planning to send him a $4,300 bill…